Not all pain!

Not all Multiple Sclerosis symptoms are accompanied by aches and pains, in fact, most of them are not. Most symptoms are, however, accompanied by some degree of discomfort and/or awkwardness. Most symptoms are of the type "Oh ... um... that's strange!Is it supposed to do that or feel like that?!" The signals get garbled, and then things do the unexpected.

I have stated the MS is an adventure, however, it is not always a pleasant one. Focusing on the negatives would be all too easy, but this is true of virtually all disabilities or illnesses. This way madness lies, and so too the path towards depression. Depression is destructive and can be treated. MS sufferers should speak to their doctors about depression an soon as possible and try to establish whether they suffer from it. It requires the sufferer to be very honest with him/herself, and seek treatment if they are diagnosed with depression. This diagnosis must be done by a professional of the medical society.

I have spotted from numerous forums and news groups that a variety of medical, non-medical and illegal drugs are used within the global MS community. These are used to assist with anything from sleep disorders to bladder control. The variety is absolutely staggering, but not one mention was made of Viagra. From personal experience, I can understand why but it is also very reassuring or should be for males in general.

Most importantly, fight depression. It affects you and those you love or love you. Its dangerous and destroys anything in its path, indiscriminately.

Those strange little aches and pains

Having MS is, in all honesty, an adventure. This may sound strange at first, however, and it probably depends on your particular frame of mind, but each day brings with it both new challenges and new experiences.

For example, a any person grows older the sudden appearance of little aches and pains is perhaps anticipated by most people. We often see the elderly bent double with aches and pains and then accompany this sight by giving you a run down of various organ failures and the onset of age related diseases. I am not ridiculing the elderly, do not misunderstand me, I am merely pointing out what most of us have experienced at some point in our life. However, when a person in their thirties, suffering from MS, suddenly complains about similar things, it is seldom regarded in the same matter-of-fact way. Usually, people fall into one of two groups, namely the sympathetic and the incredulous.

But these little aches and pains are as annoying as they are cumbersome. Painkillers can be used, but it does not always help. Besides, if you are like me, then you do not take many pills, and thus feel the burn. The pains I suffer from most on an almost daily basis are "my brain pains" which are more than headaches. These are short sharp stabbing pains in my head, and I would prefer a headache to these anytime. The other pains are "my deep bone pains" which usually occur in the limbs. They are hard to describe but the best I can do is to say that it feels like the surface of the bone in my limb is being crushed very slowly. Yep, I knew it ... now you think I am weird, but this is what it feels like. The pain is deep beneath the muscle and no matter how you stretch or twist your limb, it does not go away. No! It does not resemble the pains you experience after a heavy workout at the gym, which are normally muscular pains. These are much deeper than those.

Personally, I always feel the need to stretch or twist the limb in order to alleviate the discomfort. Today is one of the days that I am feeling such a pain ... only this time the pain is in my feet. It feels like walking on sharp stones with bare feet, which would be a silly thing to do in the best of health ... and I suppose there is some curious custom somewhere in the world where this activity would be admired and rewarded ... but moving swiftly on ... it rather clashes with my fetching and suave manner of almost knuckle-walking wherever I go.

I believe that I can deal with virtually everything that MS can throw at me, but these pains are disturbing my sleep ... and this I cannot ... no ... will not ... tolerate. I think it is time to invest in a soap box and a bullhorn!